Feature | Hands-on with New Nintendo 3DS at EB Games Expo

Nintendo is bringing extra juice to the 3DS portable family with a pair of improved consoles this year in Australia and Japan, with other regions to follow in 2015.
 
The hardware, named New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL, includes additional processing power under the hood, extra buttons, improved viewing angles plus smaller second Circle Pad.
 
Cubed3 contributor Neil Flynn spent some time with the revised hardware during the EB Games Expo in Sydney this week, going hands-on with the New 3DS to get a feel for the revised shape and extra inputs.
 
New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL will be available on 21st November 2014 in Australia and New Zealand.

Hands-on with New Nintendo 3DS at EB Expo - Neil Flynn

 
Nintendo had a few unreleased games at the expo including Captain Toad, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Splatoon. There was also a chance to play Sonic Boom, Hyrule Warriors, Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, Fantasy Life, Tomodachi Life and, of course, Mario Kart 8. 
 
A Nintendo representative did provide a brief hands-on session with the New Nintendo 3DS during the exhibition break, but without software running on it. The console is now a tad larger than the original and definitely has swayed me over to the smaller, compact model from the current XL. The screens are just the right size now, the unit is also that little bit larger, allowing the console to be better suited for adult-sized eyes and paws. Certain gamers may get cramps from long play sessions but I'm never really playing my 3DS for an extended period of time that necessitates this type of pain. 
 

The second probing question was to find out about the new, smaller, C-Stick. There was an instant feeling how this could be useful for moving a camera and the like, despite not running a game on the unit at the time. Despite this, it didn't quite feel right for a game like Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS, as players would need to lift their thumb over the X/Y buttons to get to it. It doesn't feel like it was designed with Smash in mind. It also has less movement than it appears to have, slightly stiffer in nature. Nintendo could, perhaps, be working on something specific that will really utilise this C-Stick with a subtle touch, rather than something dependent on it like Super Smash Bros.
 
There is some confusion with how the ZL/ZR buttons will work, with potential overlap of the L or R buttons with the index finder. It could cause issues in a game where either of those buttons are mapped to something important. 
 
As for the start/select buttons, they are now clickable and more akin to the start/select buttons on the original Game Boy Advance.
 

The New Nintendo 3DS was locked behind a cabinet for most of the time during the event and it was surprising how Nintendo didn't let consumers have a hands-on experience considering its launch next month. Nonetheless, additional skins and consoles were on display, garnering attention from swarms of the Nintendo faithful.

Will you grab hold of a New Nintendo 3DS or New Nintendo 3DS XL console?